Marketing, advertising & media intelligence

During the Rugby World Cup, close to 100,000 visitors are expected to grace our shores and, if the throng of diners at the new Wynyard Quarter is any guide, they'll be spending plenty of time and money sampling our food and beverages inbetween games. It's a great opportunity to show tourists what we can do and, as part of its in-restaurant marketing push, Fly the Flag, Silver Fern Farms and Bidvest are doing everything they can to get Kiwi meat into visitor's gullets by supplying New Zealand grown lamb, venison and beef to 138 leading restaurants around the country, including Logan Brown and Pravda in Wellington, the Hilton in Auckland and Tatler and Millbrook in Queenstown.

"Food trends tell us that people want effortless style with excellent ingredients produced with love and care," says Sharon Angus, group marketing manager. "They want food that is naturally sourced and that is prepared in a way that allows the central ingredient to shine through, with fresh seasonal flavours that complement the best cuts of meat. We’re hoping that visitors have the chance to experience a real taste of New Zealand and for us that means supplying our best cuts, carefully selected from the world’s best farming environment and delivered fresh to restaurants daily."

Shaun Clouston, head chef at Logan Brown, is pretty bloody excited about being able to promote local food to international visitors and he predicts the venison with beetroot risotto and black pudding will be a big hit.

"It gives us the chance to build on the idea that New Zealand does have its own unique cuisine and that it’s fast becoming world renowned. We’ve been planning since February and are glad we did, some restaurants are starting to worry that they might find themselves left short of supplies."

A few bar owners we've spoken to are also working through the logistic and supply issues that need to be sorted if they hope to sell more booze than normal to the punters without running out. Preparation is key, of course, and suppliers were given the opportunity in May to contract for the August/September period, with over 430 farmers committing 25,000 lambs, 11,000 cattle and over 31,000 deer, in addition to the normal supply.

For more info and recipes, as well as a chance to win one of six $250.00 restaurant vouchers, visit the Fly the Flag page on Silver Fern Farms website.

Elsewhere in food land, Taste of New Zealand is set to bedazzle its guests with delectable treats in the days before the finals. And word on the street is that there is a whole heap more interest than normal from stallholders. Youtube Video

If we find you doing these things, your comments will be edited without recourse and you may be asked to go away and reconsider your actions.
We respect the right to free speech and anonymous comments. Don’t abuse the privilege.

On Monday, Whittaker’s launched its latest novelty chocolate-lolly mash up with a chocolatey answer to retro bakesale treat coconut ice. The Coconut Ice Surprise chocolate has a twist though, 20c from each block goes to Plunket – a charity which New Zealanders agree is a worthy cause. However, to relate the chocolate to the charity, Whittaker's has built the campaign around baby gender reveal parties, causing a backlash from the public who argue gender norms have expanded beyond blue for boys and pink for girls.

Genius From Elsewhere

1

With over 10,000 fires occuring in South Korea residential homes every year, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance has created a flower vase that doubles as a throwable fire extinguisher. The hope is it will raise awareness to the public safety issue of home fire safety.

2

Advertisers have stopped buying ads on YouTube after their ads appeared on children's videos where pedophiles had infiltrated the comment section.The New York Times investigates the comments.

3

The internet has been up in arms about a supposed 'Anti-LGBT' emoji, featuring a rainbow flag alongside the "no" symbol. However, according to Time, the emoji causing offence is actually "an unfortunate implementation of the standards that govern how text is displayed on our device".

4

This year, Super Bowl audiences were treated to a 45-second video of Andy Warhol eating a Burger King Whopper. It was certainly a campaign unlike any before, but did it work? Adweek takes a look.

5

As of 1 March, Queenslanders will be able to include one of five emojis alongside their licence places. The options—the laughing-crying face, the winking face, the sunglasses face, the heart-eyed face, or the classic smiley face—are courtesy of Personalised Plates Queensland.

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

Why we like it: Infomercial-style ads take us right back to the glorious days of old when we were sick – but not too sick – home from school and got the sought-after opportunity to watch daytime TV. There was literally nothing greater in an eight-year-old's life. So for that reason, these ads get a big tick from us. There's humour, and, despite what often happens when radio hosts venture into a visual format, it doesn't miss the mark.

Who's it for: House of Travel by the in-house team

Why we like it: Who doesn't love when brands bring back a break-out star from one of their earlier campaigns? To be completely honest, we didn't recognise Lucy on first glance, but after a quick trip down memory lane, we placed her as Miss Lucy from that singing and dancing retro campaign House of Travel launched more than a decade ago. We like the continuity of this ad and watching a man choke on his drink after a snapback from a woman doesn't hurt either.

Who's it for: Joblist by Badger Communications

Why we like it: Sonia is a dead-set hero. We are introduced to her glamorous, visor-wearing face peering out from behind a freshly-levelled hedge and the next thing we know she's no ordinary arborist. We watch Sonia as she looks into that shrub's soul and reveals the schnauzer-shaped masterpiece of her own creation. We never knew we needed someone with Sonia's skill set in our lives, but now we know we do. Thank you Sonia for showing us the light.